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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Acts 6 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/acts/6.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/acts/6-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Acts 6</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../acts/5.htm" title="Acts 5">◄</a> Acts 6 <a href="../acts/7.htm" title="Acts 7">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">Seven Leaders for the Church</h3><p class="par"><span class="v44_6_1"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.1" class="v44_6_1">1</span>A lot of people were now becoming followers of the Lord. But some of the ones who spoke Greek started complaining about the ones who spoke Aramaic. They complained that the Greek-speaking widows were not given their share when the food supplies were handed out each day.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_6_2"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.2" class="v44_6_2">2</span>The twelve apostles called the whole group of followers together and said, “We should not give up preaching God's message in order to serve at tables.<a href="#fn" id="link_Acts.6.2!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span><span class="v44_6_3"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.3" class="v44_6_3">3</span>My friends, choose seven men who are respected and wise and filled with God's Spirit. We will put them in charge of these things. </span><span class="v44_6_4"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.4" class="v44_6_4">4</span>We can spend our time praying and serving God by preaching.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_6_5"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.5" class="v44_6_5">5</span>This suggestion pleased everyone, and they began by choosing Stephen. He had great faith and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and also Nicolaus, who worshiped with the Jewish people<a href="#fn" id="link_Acts.6.5!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> in Antioch. </span><span class="v44_6_6"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.6" class="v44_6_6">6</span>These men were brought to the apostles. Then the apostles prayed and placed their hands on the men to show they had been chosen to do this work. </span><span class="v44_6_7"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.7" class="v44_6_7">7</span>God's message spread, and many more people in Jerusalem became followers. Even a large number of priests put their faith in the Lord.</span></p><h3 class="s1">Stephen Is Arrested</h3><p class="par"><span class="v44_6_8"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.8" class="v44_6_8">8</span>God gave Stephen the power to work great miracles and wonders among the people. </span><span class="v44_6_9"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.9" class="v44_6_9">9</span>But some men from Cyrene and Alexandria were members of a group who called themselves “Free Men.”<a href="#fn" id="link_Acts.6.9!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> They started arguing with Stephen. Some others from Cilicia and Asia also argued with him. </span><span class="v44_6_10"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.10" class="v44_6_10">10</span>But they were no match for Stephen, who spoke with the great wisdom that the Spirit gave him. </span><span class="v44_6_11"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.11" class="v44_6_11">11</span>So they talked some men into saying, “We heard Stephen say terrible things against Moses and God!”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_6_12"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.12" class="v44_6_12">12</span>They turned the people and their leaders and the teachers of the Law of Moses against Stephen. Then they all grabbed him and dragged him in front of the council.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v44_6_13"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.13" class="v44_6_13">13</span>Some men agreed to tell lies about Stephen, and they said, “This man keeps on saying terrible things about this holy temple and the Law of Moses. </span><span class="v44_6_14"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.14" class="v44_6_14">14</span>We have heard him claim that Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses gave us.” </span><span class="v44_6_15"><span class="reftext" id="Acts.6.15" class="v44_6_15">15</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Acts.6.15!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Then all the council members stared at Stephen. They saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">6.2 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">to serve at tables: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">This may mean either that they were in charge of handing out food to the widows or that they were in charge of the money, since the Greek word “table” may also mean “bank.”</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">6.5 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">worshiped with the Jewish people: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">This translates the Greek word “proselyte” that means a Gentile who had accepted the Jewish religion.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">6.9 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Free Men: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">A group of Jewish men who had once been slaves, but had been freed.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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